European Influence Of The Kongo Empire

The predecessors of many Angolans moved from different parts of Africa much sooner than the arrival of the first Portuguese in the late 1400s. By the time of the Portuguese’s landing in Africa, the Kongo Kingdom was already founded in the northwestern part of modern day Angola. The first Portuguese to explore the Congo River had many intentions. They planned to bring religion, to promote European ideas of civilization, to find and use resources, and eventually to build up the slave trade. By the mid-1400s, the Kongo Kingdom was the most influential of the states located along Africa 's Atlantic coastline. The kingdom had been founded in the late 1300s by a party of Bakongo, which is the plural for Kongolese individuals. These Bakongo had ventured south of the Congo River into northwestern Angola. The Bakongo then defeated the local population and built the capital city of Mbanza Kongo, which translates as

Hailing from the African state of Ndongo and born in 1581 during the start of Luandan disagreement with Portuguese settlers (Toler 265), Queen Nzinga of the African Mbundu tribe stood up for her country and reestablished power over her people. Nzinga came in a time period that needed her. She got her country of Matamba (present day Angola) equal, both economically and socially, to the Portuguese. In order to do this, Nzinga took measures to place herself in the right position to eventually seize rule and steer her country in the right direction, even though it prompted a steady flow of opposition from her enemies. These initial enemies included the Imbangala tribes and irritated Portuguese Settlers, both of which she succeeded in

Starting with the first effect of imperialism, the introduction of Christianity in Umuofia, Okonkwo’s fatherland. Four years into Okonkwo’s exile, his good friend Obierika payed him a visit, informing Okonkwo of the arrival of missionaries in Umuofia. The Christian followers had to come to Umuofia to build a church and to convert locals into their anomalous religion. Most importantly, “what moved Obierika to visit Okonkwo was the sudden appearance of the latter’s son, Nwoye, among the missionaries in Umuofia.” (Achebe 143) The introduction of Christianity was one of the many effects set upon the African villages. Locals were becoming

People of the early African kingdoms were able to create successful trade routes with Europe and Asia, become very wealthy from conquering and gaining land, and were able to have a strong central government. All of this was done before the Europeans had reached Africa. Trade flourished on the East African coast, especially when trading was established with India and Arabia. African kingdoms were prosperous, because of their success with not only trading but also with their ability to conquer land. A governmental structure is key to allowing any kingdom to thrive, and the African people were able to achieve this.

    The Ibo culture in Things Fall Apart began to experience colonization, all after Okonkwo was exiled. He was sent away for seven years for killing a clansman. As soon as Okonkwo had left, Umuofia was greeted by Christian missionaries. They were there to convert the villagers to Christianity, to build churches, schools, and hospitals for them. When Okonkwo was exiled, Nwoye snuck off to be among the Christians. He enjoyed being around them and examined their religious views. But, Okonkwo was not happy about Nwoye’s decisions. Okonkwo chokes him by the neck, and demands Nwoye to tell him where he has been. “I don’t know, he is not my father.” (Achebe 137) Being almost killed by his own father really encouraged Nwoye to disassociate himself from his father completely and to head back home to Umuofia. Nwoye was drawn to Christianity because it made him feel welcomed, rather than when he was apart of his native religion.

-After Nwoye is lured into the Christian religion and abandons his culture and family, Okonkwo is ashamed and states, "you have all see the great abomination of your brother. Now he is no longer my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a man, who will hold his head up among my people" (172). Nwoye's father disowns him only because he chooses a path untraditional to his culture. The serious, frustrated, and unhappy mood that is created in Okonkwo's statement gives the reader an idea of how much the Ibo culture values tradition, choice, and family.

It left Africa with an uneven ratio of men to women, it destroyed all trust people had for each other, the economy was in chaos, and wars and slave raids ravished the land. Nobody was safe anymore. Friends were turning on friends and trading them to the Europeans in order to live another day. Some places were worse than others. In the picture, the King of Kongo is depicted with European ambassadors at his feet (Document 6). This could symbolize that during this time, The King of Kongo had more power than the Europeans, despite the advanced weapons they possessed. The Africans knew the land, so in exchange for weapons the Africans did the raiding, thus creating chaos and wars between group. As for the social structure of Africa, it became hunted or hunter. Africans either captured others, or they got captured themselves. As slavery continued to develop, Africa erupted into a bunch of chaos. This somewhat like the warring states period in china. There was no centralized authority, constant wars, and tons of

Be able to describe the East African trading centers PRIOR to the arrival of the Portuguese.

Many Ming Dynasty officials resisted European trade and ideas because of four reasons. First, China was at the height of its power at the time that the Europeans came to China. Because of this, the Ming officials thought that China wouldn’t benefit from accepting the European’s request to trade. Second, China thought that the Europeans were barbarians, and the Ming officials didn’t want to trade with uncivilized people. Third, China’s main philosophy, Confucianism, influenced people into not trading with outsiders. Confucius taught that “people should place loyalty to society ahead of their own desires” (pg. 286). This meant that people shouldn’t trade in order to keep harmony. Lastly, Ming officials didn’t want Chinese people to adopt Christianity.

In 1621-1622 was an important year in the life of Nzinga. It was during this year that the Portuguese invited Mbandi to a peace conference in the hopes of ending conflicts between

Queen Nzinga was believed to be born during the last half of the 1500’s. During her early life, she grew up with her father as a leader. Her father Ngola Kiluanji Kia Samba was a ruler before her. He started his ruling by leading his people against Portuguese colonialists. Queen Nzinga Mbande was the monarch in Mbundu people. She became the queen when her brother committed suicide. During that time there was rising demand for the slave trade. She always refused to allow anybody to control her nation. This lead to tons of struggles throughout the 16th century. Though she had no formal education she was a great leader. This was because during this time there was some enlightenment in the education field in England but none in Africa.

The arrival of new seen and unseen culture, like new goods and enslaved people, were some ways Kongo was affected by cultural diffusion. The Portuguese traded china plates, guns and knives for enslaved people. The African Kingdom traded with the Europeans because it was socially accepted and promoted. What the African country didn't realize was that trading with the Portuguese would demolish the country. It was estimated that by 1680, nearly one million enslaved africans were taken by the Kongo region to be traded as slaves exploitation. In addition to new goods through trade, christianity was also introduced to the Congolese people. The Mani-Kongo , who was the king of the region, was converted from the Portuguese Missionaries. Not only did the missionaries convert the king, but as well as his son, who later got baptized and given the first christian name, Affonso the first. Trading in a variety of goods as well as enslaved people have changed the Congolese people forever because of cultural

And for the first time they had a woman. Her name was Nneka, the wife of Amadi, who was a prosperous farmer. She was very heavy with child" (Achebe 151). The missionaries are not discriminating against the Ibo people they accepted all of them into their fait. They even accepted the outcasts of the Ibo society, who most of the time turned out to be the most faithful ones in the group.

The fact that these missionaries have started to really make an impact was unprecedented by the Ibo people; their continuous misunderstandings of one another contribute to make this situation frustrating to both the Ibo clansmen and the Christians that view their religion as superior. Okonkwo returns back to his home village of Umuofia after his exile to Mbanta, and he arrives to see missionaries have overtaken the village, created a government, and many Umuofians have joined the church. As Okonkwo and his friend Obierika are talking, Obierika says of the missionaries and their impact, “He says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?...He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (176). The white men and missionaries have been successful in coming in and gaining power. They believe the customs to be “bad”, showing their disregard of Ibo culture, and how their motives for infiltrating Ibo life is based off of selfish ideas- only to gain more followers to their religion. Furthermore, by actually being successful in drawing Umuofians into their religion, they have turned

Secondly, the Christians unite the converts, but this unity does not prevent the new converts from demeaning others because of their religion or beliefs. When Mr. Kiaga, the missionaries’ interpreter, persuades the converts to accept the osu, or those who are cast out of the clan, Achebe writes, “‘Before God,’ he [Mr. Kiaga] said, ‘there is no slave or free. We are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers’”(136). The people are guided by Mr. Kiaga’s words as he teaches that they are all children of God and are, therefore, equal. One might think that converts would subsequently show the other religion in Umuofia an equal amount of respect as before, but they do not. While the church is still new to the village and does not perish in Evil Forest, Achebe says, “Three converts had gone into the village and